


Ardmore and Aros

by LoadedRevolver



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Viking Mythology & Folklore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:34:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7369321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoadedRevolver/pseuds/LoadedRevolver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Greetings to the Crown Prince of Ardmore.</p><p>As you and your parents are aware, Crown Prince Ambrose has recently come of age. He knows, as do you, of his destiny, and he is making preparations to travel to Ardmore for your wedding. Ambrose will be accompanied by two of his closest confidants and a bodyguard. He will also bring his dowry and some personal effects. We trust that this will be to your satisfaction.</p><p>The Court of Odin."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at doing the July challenge at Camp NaNoWriMo, so here's hoping it works out. Endless thanks to Moiself for nudging my muses into action when they were ignoring me.

Finn's mother had been hoping that it would never come to this. As the years passed and her only son had grown, she had begun to hope that his betrothal to the Crown Prince of Aros would never come to pass. She had been against it from the very start, but her husband and his advisers had been adamant. The uneasy and fragile peace between Ardmore and Aros had to be strengthened through the betrothal of their first born son, Finn, to Ambrose.

When the ceremony had first been arranged, Finn was barely three summers old. The long and bloody war between the Kingdoms had finished, but the ceasefire was a fragile one. The King and his Court had been away for many months, trying and failing to secure peace, when one of Aros's councillors had suggested that the newborn son of his King should be promised to his enemy's son. Finn's mother had been horrified, but his father had eventually agreed to it. 

And so, almost a year later, the Court of Odin had travelled to Ardmore to oversee the betrothal of Finn, Crown Prince of Ardmore to Ambrose, Crown Prince of Aros, Duke of Faroe and Vinnland. Ambrose was still just a babe in his mother's arms, all chubby cheeks and a mop of auburn hair that fell into curls around his face. Finn was just gone four summers old by then, a quiet child who was more interested in chasing a stray butterfly than the ceremony itself. Both boys were unaware of the significance of the purple and white cord that gently tied their hands together, nor of the power behind the words spoken by the High Druid himself as he placed his hands on their foreheads.

The years had passed all too quickly after that. The Queen would sometimes broach the subject of Finn's destiny, only to be told by her husband that there was nothing to be done about it. The boys had been blessed by both a High Druid and one of the most powerful Seers in Aros. To break their bond, the King told his wife, would cause war to break out yet again, and that the outcome would be far from certain. At first, the Queen would shout, yell and finally sob at her husband. She would say that this was not what she had wanted for her son. Over the years, she came to realise that her outbursts would change nothing.

Finn had just finished breakfast that morning when the letter arrived. Usually, the messages would be delivered to the King and Queen, maybe one or two letters would arrive for Finn from his long time friend, Sami. But never before had Finn received a letter with the High Seal of Aros attached to it. His mother tried not to gasp too loudly, but Finn knew what this was. His hands shook slightly as he opened it, and he read it aloud.

_Greetings to the Crown Prince of Ardmore._

_As you and your parents are aware, Crown Prince Ambrose has recently come of age. He knows, as do you, of his destiny, and he is making preparations to travel to Ardmore for your wedding. Ambrose will be accompanied by two of his closest confidants and a bodyguard. He will also bring his dowry and some personal effects. We trust that this will be to your satisfaction._

_The Court of Odin._

Finn could only stare at the letter, shock and fear on his face. Of course he had known that he had been betrothed to an Omega of high standing, and he had been schooled in the language and politics of Aros. But it had been years since he had seen Ambrose; they were still small children. What if he was a brute? Or was not schooled in the ways of Ardmore? Finn wasn't sure if he could possibly be expected to marry and mate with someone he had not seen in almost eleven summers. But for as nervous and as apprehensive as he was, it seemed to pale into nothing compared to how his mother had reacted. He was dimly aware of her gasp of shock as he read, but there was no ignoring her quiet sobbing now. The King had reached over and gently patted her hand to try and give her some comfort before turning to Finn.

"My son.....I have prepared you as best as I can for this part of your life. I have kept nothing from you and I only hope that you have appreciated this. But the time has come for you to honour the bond between you and Prince Ambrose, and to strengthen the ties between the houses."

"Yes, father. I understand." replied Finn, quietly. "But I cannot say that this is something I have been looking forward to. I barely know of my fiancé, I have not seen him since we were both younger. How will I live with someone that I do not have any feelings for?"

"I cannot say that it will be easy, my child; things such as this never are. I can only ask you to go into this union with an open mind and an open heart. And in time, you may be blessed with a love such as I and your mother share. If both you and Ambrose are half as lucky as we have been, I foresee a long and happy union." The Queen rose from her chair, and came around to where her son was seated.

"Finn, _mo ghrá_ , all I ask is that you are happy. If you are happy, then so am I." She wiped her eyes, and smiled at Finn. 

Finn could only hope that he looked more confident about this handfasting than he felt.

 

Ambrose was a ball of energy as he watched his father's servants scurry here and there in his quarters. They'd already managed to pack one large trunk full of his clothes and other sundries, and were now filling another with his favourite books and sketching pads. Pens and pencils had been wrapped and packed away with care, and he was now watching carefully as they were wrapping the small portrait of his intended. It had been sent to him by the King and Queen of Ardmore as a gift for his fifteenth summer, and Ambrose had sworn that the Gods had been kind to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Crown Prince Ambrose to depart for Ardmore.........

The chamber that had been Ambrose's since he’d been at least five summers old now seemed bigger than he'd remembered. All of his books had been safely packed away, the bookcases dismantled and sent to storage. His day to day effects were in smaller cases, and sent ahead to the ship, along with six trunks of clothes, sketching pads and art supplies and gifts for his betrothed.

His _betrothed_. 

Ambrose had been promised to Finn of Ardmore since before his birth. He had hazy memories of a ceremony as a baby, bright blue eyes taking him in, a dark haired boy staring at him. As time passed, Ambrose was schooled in the ways of not only his own Kingdom, but in those of Ardmore. Learning to write the ancient Runes of Aros had been hard enough, but learning enough Gaelic to hold a conversation with the King and Queen of Ardmore was torturous. But he had never fought against what his father had said was his destiny. Ambrose knew that he would never rule Aros; that fell to his younger brother, Seth. He may have been the first born son, but he was an Omega, and tradition held that the Crown of Odin could only be worn by an Alpha. Usually, an Omega Prince was trained as a diplomat, a peacekeeper, and this would have been the case for Prince Ambrose.

As he understood it, it had been barely a month before his birth that the Royal Seer had all but run into the throne room, and demanded to talk to the King and Queen. He’d told them that Freyr, God of Peace, had come to him in a vision,and spoke of a son. The son was to be named Ambrose and he would bring peace to Aros. Given this prophecy, it was only natural that when the fragile ceasefire with Ardmore looked as if it were to crumble, the betrothal of the Omega Prince Ambrose to the Alpha Prince Finn was assured.

 

Ambrose looked around the chamber, for what felt like the last time. He would miss the palace, naturally. Thoughts of his handsome fiancé flashed through his mind, and he smiled to himself. He hadn't seen Finn since he was eleven summers old, and wondered if Finn would return his feelings. Was he in love with someone he barely knew? Maybe. Ambrose wasn't sure exactly what being in love felt like, but he was certain that he had feelings for his soon to be Alpha.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud knock on the door, and turned to see his brother, Roman, entering the room.

“The King sent me to tell you that your carriage is ready, Your Highness.”

“Since when have you started using my formal title, Roman?”, replied Ambrose. 

“Since your father decided that I was being too ‘familiar’, and that it wasn't how things were done at the Royal Court at Ardmore, my brother.” Roman was now grinning mischievously, crossing the room to hug Ambrose. 

“The Royal Court of Ardmore will just have to get used to you, I’m afraid. I made sure that they were informed of your arrival.” Ambrose turned towards the large window that looked out over the courtyard and out over the eastern wing of the castle. A comfortable silence fell between the two young men, as the Prince seemed to drink in the stunning view. Both of them knew that this was possibly the last time either of them would be in their homeland; Ambrose was well aware that as Prince Finn’s mate, he was expected to remain in Ardmore. At first, the King wanted to acquiesce to the Court of Ardmore’s request that Prince Ambrose come to them alone, and only relented when Crown Prince Seth had been so horrified by the idea that he threatened to sail to Ardmore with his brother. 

So it was that Prince Ambrose would be accompanied by his ‘brother’, Roman, who would remain with him after his marriage. Crown Prince Seth was also travelling with him, to stand as proxy for their father, and he had been assigned a bodyguard from the Royal Barracks. Her name was Emma, and she was one of the best warriors for many a year. 

The silence was broken by a sharp knock on the open door, before King Roderick entered the chamber.

“So…….I see that you have everything packed and sent to the ship, my son?”

“Yes, father. The chamber seems a lot…….bigger than I thought.” replied the Prince. Try as he might to fight it back, a note of sadness crept into his voice. The King came forward to embrace his eldest son, hugging him tightly and causing Ambrose to quietly squeak. Neither man spoke, silence weighing heavy between them. King Roderick had been a rock to both Prince Ambrose and Prince Seth since the early death of their mother, Queen Joan. Despite the demands on the King’s time at Court, he had always made sure that he was there to put his sons to bed, or would tell his Council that he was not to be disturbed, as he was spending time with his boys.

“I had hoped that this would be easier, my son, but alas, it is not.” Prince Ambrose swallowed back the tears that had been threatening since he’d woken that morning. The last thing he wanted was to cry in front of his father; the thought of never seeing him again filled him with sadness. 

“I want you to know that no matter what, all I and your mother wanted was for you to find some measure of happiness in this……. _situation_. Especially your mother. I know that if she were with us today, she would be so very, very proud of you.” The King took Ambrose’s hand, leading them out of the Prince’s childhood chambers and towards the Council’s offices. “You are probably aware that despite Rowan’s prophecies of your destiny, your mother did not want this life for you; not at first. But as time passed, and after your betrothal to Crown Prince Finn as a babe, she began to come around. She’d began to assemble your dowry before she passed away.”

Once they entered his personal office,The King rounded the large table that dominated the room, one that Ambrose and Seth had often played under when they were smaller, and opened one of the panels beneath a window seat. This confused Ambrose, and it must have shown. The King only smiled, pulling out a large trunk before reaching into the small space and pulling out an ornate scabbard of silver and gold and placing it on top.

“My…..my dowry?” asked Ambrose. “But I didn’t think that I would be gifted with one. I never knew...you never said, father.”

“It does not matter what your standing is here in Aros, all Omegas are gifted with a dowry when they are to be married. The contents are the same; only the quality of the gifts are different. I made sure that your dowry was completed as your mother had wanted.” King Roderick gently lifted the sword, and passed it to his son.

“This was your mother’s sword, and her mother’s before her. Times have changed, you will not carry it into battle as they did, but she always said that it was to be passed down to you.” Ambrose held the weapon up, and the sunlight that streamed through the large window made it shine as he turned it over in his hands. He was so entranced by the ornate patterns engraved on the scabbard that he didn’t hear Prince Seth and Roman enter the room, only noticing them when the King cleared his throat.

“There is another use for your mother’s sword, my son. If you could pass it to me….?”

Ambrose passed the sword to his father, a look of confusion on his face. “Ambrose…..tradition states that any children of the the King and Queen are given a title on the day of their wedding. Sadly, I will not be able to bestow your title on your wedding day, so I have asked your brothers to witness this. If you’d stand either side of the Crown Prince?”

Seth stood to Ambrose’s left, Roman to his right, both of them smiling proudly at the honour. King Roderick gently unsheathed the late Queen’s sword. Seth nudged his brother. “You need to kneel for this. Formalities, and that.” Ambrose kneeled before his father, head bowed and trying not to be overwhelmed by the moment.

“By the grace of Lord Odin and the Lady Fricka, I now bestow upon you the title of Duke of Faroe and Vinnland. May you rule over your lands well.” The King tapped the sword on Ambrose’s shoulders before laying the flat of the blade on his head. “May Lord Odin bless you with the wisdom and knowledge to rule your people kindly.” The flat of the sword was then placed across Ambrose’s chest, over his heart.

“May the Lady Fricka bless your marriage to the Prince Finn. May it be a long, happy and fruitful one.”

The sword was sheathed, and Ambrose stood to face his father again. King Roderick pulled his eldest son to him, and hugged him tightly. They both knew that this was likely to be the last time they would see each other, and neither man held back their tears. “I foolishly hoped that this day would never come, my son. And now that it has, I want to tell the Kingdom of Ardmore that they cannot have you. But alas, I cannot.”

Ambrose gently pulled away from his father’s embrace, wiping away tears. “I promise, I will do my best to return. I know that Ardmore is many a day’s sailing from Aros, but I swear, I will return.”

“Maybe so, but I fear that it will not be in my lifetime.” replied the King, sadly. Silence fell between them, broken only when Prince Seth cleared his throat.

“The ship sails within the hour, father. I’m sure there’s one more person we should bid farewell to.”

 

This, thought Seth, had to be the hardest part of his brother’s journey to Ardmore. Ambrose had insisted on going to Arundel, the Royal burial grounds, to say goodbye to their mother. Not that he or Seth had many memories of her; she had been the last ruling Queen of Aros to be killed in battle when they were small children. But Ambrose knew, deep down, that it would be a long time before he returned to Aros, if at all.

Seth would return to Aros, to learn and be guided by their father. Not only was he losing Ambrose, but his other brother as well. Emma, their bodyguard, had already said her farewells to her family, and she was already on board the ship. He watched as his older brother placed a hand on the granite headstone, head bowed, lips moving in quiet prayer before leaning forward to place a kiss on the stone. Seth barely heard his brother’s whisper of “Love you always, my Queen.” before he stood and bowed. Ambrose straightened up, and strode towards Seth. 

“I think I’m ready to leave Aros now.”


End file.
